From the Mailbag: New Husband, First Deployment. Advice?

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31 Jan 2011

SpouseBUZZ reader G is seeking advice from military wives. She'll be marrying a soldier in July and he will be deploying a few months later.

Hello SB. My fiance is in the Army National Guard and we will be getting married this July....at some point this fall he will be deploying for the first time in his military career. I was wondering what advice do you have for newlyweds faced with a deployment, and any advice on how to get through it? Since he isnt AD Army I will be moving back with my mom while he is deployed. My other question is what type of support is offered to Army National Guard Spouses during deployment and after?

I married into the Army years before September 11 and had a chance to become familiar with the lifestyle before I experienced a deployment. It's one reason I'm in such awe of the younger spouses who dive into this constant deployment cycle head-first and display such resiliency. Although I know we do what we have to do, I'm still not sure I would have had that much strength when I was younger. G mentions that her husband-to-be is in the Guard and not Active Duty, so she may not be surrounded by a community of people who understand what she's going through. That can be both good, and bad. I think online forums such as this one are crucial for all spouses, but particularly those who are geographically isolated from a military community.